"Welcome Dayton" gets unwelcome attack

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Before it's even been passed, the "Welcome Dayton" plan is bringing in outsiders to the city.

Only they came to criticize it.

"Passage of this resolution will allow illegal immigrants to receive municipal ID's," says Arzella Melnyk. "This will only encourage more illegal immigrants to come to Ohio."

Melnyk was one of three people from Northeastern Ohio who showed up at Wednesday's City Commission meeting to speak about concerns the "Welcome Dayton" plan would draw illegal immigrants to the state and use tax dollars to support them.

"Nowhere does it define people who have chosen to come here legally or illegally," says John Muzik.

But Dayton city manager Tim Riordan took issue with the comments. He feels talk like that is "unwelcome" here.

"Everybody who turns a discussion of immigrants into illegal immigrants, I just find it disgusting. I just find it heinous that people are always doing that," Riordan says. "Let's talk about the good people. The refugees who are coming over here who had horrible suffering but they want to create a new life and they feel this is their country."

Riordan says the plan is designed to make it easier for legal immigrants in the city to start their own businesses and learn English.

He thinks in the long run it will make the city stronger.

"If we demonstrate that we're a community that can solve the problems they're going to spread the word," Riordan says. "Now a certain group of people says that's going to be more illegal immigrants coming in. I think it's going to be more of the good Americans that want to know there's going to be a place that's going to open their arms to them."

When asked about the plan's recommendation of city ID cards, which some feel could give illegal immigrants rights they haven't earned, Riordan said passage of the plan wouldn't necessarily lead to those cards.

"We'll look and see if that's something we do or don't do," Riordan says. "It's a recommendation and we've got to take it under consideration."

The Welcome Dayton plan is expected to be voted on at next week's City Commission meeting.